In re Wright

486 Md. 335

807 A.3d 489

In the MATTER OF the Application of Ian Patrick WRIGHT for Admission To the Bar of Maryland

Misc. No. 1, Sept. Term, 2023

Supreme Court of Maryland.

December 29, 2023

Argued by Gorman E. Getty, III (Cumberland, MD), for Applicant

Argued before: Fader, C.J. Watts, Hotten, Booth, Biran, Gould, Eaves, JJ.

ORDER

The Court having considered the favorable recommendations of the Character Committee for the Third Appellate Judicial Circuit and the State Board of Law Examiners concerning the application of Ian Patrick Wright for admission to the Bar of Maryland, it is this 29th day of December 2028, by the Supreme Court of Maryland, a majority of the Court concurring,

ORDERED that the favorable recommendations of the Character Committee for the Third Appellate Judicial Circuit and State Board of Law Examiners are accepted, and it is further

ORDERED that the applicant shall be admitted to the Bar upon taking the oath prescribed by the statute.

Hotten, J. dissents.

Hotten, J., dissenting.

Respectfully, I dissent. I am not persuaded that Mr. Wright has met his burden for admission to, the Bar of Maryland. As the record reflects, Mr. Wright’s conduct suggests a troubling pattern of omissions and failures to appear at court proceed- ings. The judgment exercised under the circumstances is inconsistent with the requisite character and fitness to practice law.

This Court holds the solemn responsibility of determining the fitness of those who seek the privilege to practice law in our State. The highest requirements are demanded of those who would practice since “[t]he virtues of character, honesty, and integrity are the cornerstone of our legal profession.” Att’y Grievance Comm’n v. Vasiliades, 475 Md. 520, 564, 257 A.3d 1061, 1086 (2021); see also Att’y Grievance Comm’n v. Myers, 333 Md. 440, 449, 635 A.2d 1315, 1319 (1994) (“Candor and truthfulness are two of the most important moral character traits of a lawyer.”) (citations omitted). Lawyers must also comply with the law and appear in court when required. Att’y Grievance Comm’n v. Ficker, 477 Md. 537, 566, 271 A.3d 227, 244 (2022) (“Competen[ce] … requires the attorney’s, presence at any court proceeding for which he or she was retained, absent an acceptable explanation for that attorney’s absence.”).

Mr. Wright is a recovering alcoholic. According to the State Bar of Law Examiner’s report, Mr. Wright had been sober for fourteen years. However, Mr. Wright had several brushes with the law, including two DUIs associated with his alcoholism, trespassing and disorderly conduct, and a citation for an expired motor vehicle registration. Further, Mr. Wright failed to appear at two separate court proceedings after he began his journey to the legal profession. The first non-appearance, for the trespassing and disorderly conduct, occurred in 2014 while Mr. Wright was attending law school. The second, for the expired vehicle registration, was in 2017 and after Mr. Wright had graduated from law school, where his driver’s license was suspended for failing to appear. During those times, Mr....